Lee & Ian Show Interview: Malini, Paul, & Meredith
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Lee & Ian Show Interview: Nayar, Stephan, & Higgins
00:00:04.240 The next Lee and Ian podcast is approaching the station. Please step aside.
00:00:12.080 And welcome to the Lee and Ian Show. I'm Lee Navlin. And I'm Ian Grodman. The Lee and Ian Show is sponsored by
00:00:17.680 Grodman Law and Mediation. Remember, when it comes to divorce, family first. Mediation. It's the way to go. Gronden
00:00:23.600 Law and Mediation. So Ian, you know it's September and in Soma, it's election time. It's election time
00:00:29.439 and you start to see Right. You start to see the lawn signs. There's a lot of them. There's a lawn sign all over the place.
00:00:34.480 I'm driving. I got four in my lawn right now. You got four in your lawn right now? Well, I'm driving here and I'm seeing them all over the place. And I am seeing I am
00:00:41.200 seeing uh Malan Nyer signs, Paul Stfan signs, and Meredith Higgins signs. Yes, you are. They're actually all on one sign.
00:00:46.879 They're running together as a team for the school board. Right. So, so I'm driving and uh I see a
00:00:52.800 woman and she's standing outside enjoying this beautiful weather and she's looking at her lawn sign. She's looking at at the lawn sign that she has
00:00:58.559 for the for the candidates and I said, "Hey," I go, "I'm Lee from the Lee and Ian show." And so she says, "I've never
00:01:04.080 heard of you." Who the hell are you? Exactly. Right. So she didn't know who I was. So I said, "Well, anyway, it's a podcast. I explain what we're doing." And then I go, "Guess who's going to be
00:01:09.840 on our show later?" She goes, "Jimmy Kimmel." Anyway, yeah. So that was yesterday. That was Yeah. So I said, "No, not Jimmy
00:01:15.360 Kimmel." I said, "Guess again." And she got the answer correctly. So Wow. Very cool. Anyway, so we got one person who's going to
00:01:20.960 listen already. We have more than one person that's going to listen because we have three people right now in the studio with us at OSN.
00:01:27.439 That's true. We're up to four. That's right. So, uh, ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Melanie Nyer, Paul Stafon, and Meredith Higgins.
00:01:33.119 They are ready for the board event. Thanks everybody for coming in. Thank you for having us. Thank you. And it's a good looking sign,
00:01:38.880 isn't it? It's a great sign. Yes, it is. It It caught my eye. I was Beautiful sign. Beautiful sign. I was driving uh
00:01:44.159 probably faster than I should. I apologize. I was running late to get here. And um so anyway, Nancy Adams, are
00:01:49.439 you listening? go more than 5 miles an hour. That's right. But I saw I saw the signs and there quite a few of them by the way, you know. So, uh you guys are
00:01:55.200 really doing a good job right now getting the name out and getting uh uh the message out and uh and thanks for
00:02:00.719 coming in and that's what we're going to do. We're going to talk a little bit about what you guys want to do uh once you were elected to the board of ed.
00:02:06.000 So, sounds good. Um so, I guess what do we we by the way,
00:02:11.280 Ian, this is we've never really had three people in the studio before. So, this is going to be a small studio. These these people are
00:02:16.640 are being very good to us. squeezed into our little podcast studio. It's cozy. Thank you.
00:02:21.920 That's right. It's cozy. So, uh, so I guess we'll just throw some questions and we'll just kind of take it from there. So, Melanie, um, well, why don't
00:02:28.480 you tell us this is actually to the three of you. U, how did the three of you meet and how did you guys decide to join, you know, become a slate? Talk a
00:02:35.200 little bit about that. I guess that's the question for each and all of you. Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Who's it? Yeah,
00:02:41.519 I can start and others can pick up. So, and that would be Paul Stfan obviously like Yes. Hello. Hello. Um uh so people may
00:02:47.760 know I I ran last year uh unsuccessfully and uh you know last year there were seven candidates running. There was a a
00:02:54.239 group of three a group of three and then myself and uh somebody on Facebook called me lonely Paul Stefen at some
00:02:59.280 point which I I I still ch I I love it. Um but you know and and part of running
00:03:04.400 independently is you want to try to get you know get on the board and work with everybody. Um our board's been a little
00:03:09.840 divided in the past and so I was hoping to you know get elected and and sort of reach across the aisle and work with everybody. Obviously, I was not
00:03:15.840 successful and you know the reality is you need or it helps a lot to have three people running just mathematically and
00:03:22.400 so uh got connected with Melanie and and Meredith um who I think uh you know as
00:03:27.680 we started talking over the summer uh really um I felt like we saw eye on a lot of things um but also uh
00:03:34.319 complimented each other in good ways um they can they can talk about it but you know Meredith's got a lot of prek
00:03:39.360 experience I'm sure we'll talk about Malan's uh a high school parent and actually the only high school parent running I'm really excited to be with
00:03:45.840 them and and they're um I just think they're tremendous. Uh yeah, you guys feel the same way. I
00:03:52.319 mean, basically it's it's been a good camaraderie and uh just I mean you guys met and you said okay this is you had a
00:03:58.959 dinner a coffee or whatnot and you you just said this is it. This is the team. Yeah. I mean, it was kind of funny
00:04:04.560 because I was actually on vacation in Michigan. We've got family out there and we take two weeks every summer to just
00:04:09.840 like relax and decompress and sort of pull ourselves out of our bubble life. And um we had a call one with Paul and
00:04:16.798 Paul and I were chatting and we were like, "You're a music teacher? You're a music teacher?" Like we just instantly found a lot of these things in common
00:04:22.960 and we were talking about our experiences and like living in Soma and um wasn't it also Lawrenceville or
00:04:28.320 Laurens Township? Yes. Yes. Yeah. So, we've just had a lot in common. So, it naturally felt very like
00:04:35.040 that camaraderie popped in pretty quick. Melanie I actually met uh was it two years ago I think now I teach um a
00:04:42.320 program called Balex the Bollywood workout. Um surprise surprise and it's one of my favorite things to teach and
00:04:49.040 uh she came to one of my classes and said I want you to come and actually present this and talk about Bollywood
00:04:54.639 fitness and Dvali and Holi with my um business. And so I did a whole presentation for them. And so her and I
00:05:01.120 already had a bond. So when the three of us kind of got on this call, we were like, gosh, this just feels like so
00:05:06.960 natural and so true to Soma, too, of like how some of the connections come together. And I don't know, you're I
00:05:13.759 talk to you guys more than I talk to my husband sometimes now. We're like kind of buddies. So that's how I see when you walked in in
00:05:19.280 the three, we we were chatting outside, you guys seem more like friends almost, you know, like friends that have a a singular mission right now, you know. So
00:05:26.560 uh Yeah. And um I will say um I got connected with both of them over the
00:05:32.400 summer, reconnected with Meredith over the summer. And um for me, I personally
00:05:38.720 am at a point in life where I really want to give back more than what I'm doing for my job. Uh my job where I work
00:05:45.120 is a mission-driven organization. So I feel pretty good about what I do and can talk a little bit more about that. But
00:05:51.120 uh I want to just do more. I have kids who are in high school. I want to um I have a little more time on my hands. I
00:05:57.680 have a lot of expertise in budgeting and using public money to do things for
00:06:03.520 public good. Um so I want to kind of bring that to the table. Um and I also want to set a good example for my kids
00:06:09.759 in terms of what community um you know engagement looks like and and bringing
00:06:15.120 good governance to a board and asking good questions and working with people and making good compromises. Um, and so
00:06:22.560 I I I do a lot of that in my daily job. And so I thought this would be a good way to give back to my community. I've
00:06:29.360 lived here for 13 years and um, you know, I feel part of it. Um, so I I feel
00:06:34.560 like this would be an amazing thing to do and you know, we we bring different things to the table given our
00:06:40.720 backgrounds um, given our stages in life and I think that's been the best part of uh, working on this slate. Um, we we ask
00:06:48.160 a lot of questions of each other. We do research, we share the research, then we ask more questions. Um, and sometimes we
00:06:55.120 don't necessarily fully agree and we'll say, "Okay, tell me more. Let me understand, you know, what do you think
00:07:01.199 are the concerns or why do you feel this way?" And so that I think we want to all three of us kind of want to bring that
00:07:07.120 to the board. And that is why our slate is called listen, learn, and lead. That's great.
00:07:13.039 You know what? I love that because, you know, we do have our school board here in Mapboard and South Orange um h has a
00:07:20.080 a reputation for not people always getting along really well. and hearing
00:07:25.440 the three of you talk about that and I know Paul before today. Uh, and I, you know, when Paul ran last year, like I
00:07:32.240 thought, you know, Paul will be a great person to be on the board in terms of being able to bring people together with
00:07:38.000 differing viewpoints. But hearing that you guys have already had disagreements among yourselves, but you've still found
00:07:43.680 a way to like work for this common good, right? This common goal that you have. I that's fantastic.
00:07:49.280 Well, I do remember last year, Paul, when you run as a true story, I said to Ian, I go, "Well, who do you like?" And uh Ian will never tell you who he
00:07:55.360 doesn't like. He's just not that type of guy. But he so so so he goes he goes he goes I'm not gonna tell you I don't like but I'll tell you I like I go that who?
00:08:01.360 He goes Paul Stefan. So that that's a true story from last year. So u and Paul talking about yourself Paul. Now you're
00:08:07.759 you're an attorney but you were a school teacher too. I mean so that seems like you just have outstanding credentials
00:08:13.360 for this type of uh of this type of job. basically you feel for the um you
00:08:18.639 understand what the students needs are but then again you understand the the needs of the community you I guess
00:08:24.800 thinking as a lawyer might might uh talk a little bit about your background what made you want to dip your you know your
00:08:31.759 toe back into the uh the pool again for round two and uh so forth. Yeah. Um, so I was a teacher. In fact,
00:08:39.279 that was, um, I taught in Newark and in Orange, I taught first grade and I taught K to7 music, uh, living in the
00:08:45.519 Ironbound, uh, in Newark at the time. That's actually how I met my wife, who is also a teacher. I I'm going to interrupt you, Paul,
00:08:51.200 because I I think you need to tell people how what the program was that led you to being a teacher, too. I think is
00:08:56.720 really important. Yeah. So, I I was in Teach for America. So, my my undergraduate major was not in education. It was in urban and public
00:09:02.560 policy studies. I went to Sunni Buffalo for that. And you know, I I I think the
00:09:07.920 teaching experience is is helpful because we need board members who understand and appreciate just how tough
00:09:13.279 a job is uh it is. I I'm a lawyer now and I have to say being a lawyer is such a much easier job. Um teaching is is is
00:09:19.760 by far the the hardest job uh I've ever had for sure and and maybe one maybe the
00:09:25.279 hardest job or if not one of the hardest jobs that people could have. Um so I and I and I bring up the teaching experience
00:09:31.279 uh not to suggest that I know everything. I certainly don't. Um but uh you know it's important I think for
00:09:37.360 people to understand it's a tough job. It's uh we have amazing educators in this district about I think over half of
00:09:43.920 whom have master's degrees. They're really dedicated. They work for frankly not enough pay and with not enough
00:09:49.120 support. Um and I think one of the most important things that a board can do is try to make sure that teachers have the
00:09:54.240 tools uh and and the um and the materials and things that they need to to really excel.
00:09:59.600 No, I agree with you 100%. I uh a couple years ago when the pandemic was kind of winding down a little bit, my wife and I
00:10:05.920 were both working remotely out of the house and we were about ready to kill each other and she said, "One of us has got to get out." So I took a year off
00:10:13.519 from what I was basically doing. Um and I did I did some par. I was a par profofessional actually for a year and
00:10:19.600 it was almost like a fly on the wall type of thing. I did it at Marshall School. By the way, shout out to the Marshall Owls, you know, great great
00:10:26.000 staff, great people. But man, oh man, I would come home from that job and I was so I I didn't know what tired was. I
00:10:32.959 didn't know what tired was, you know, until you spend a day, you know, with second graders and then you got to do it
00:10:38.880 again and then again and then again. Y um we actually went to that board of education meeting where the paras were
00:10:44.959 there and I got there early. I I wanted to be there at 6:30 so I could actually talk to a couple of them and um it was
00:10:51.920 very interesting hearing their stories and very eye opening of you know they are dedicated to one I don't know all
00:10:58.000 the inner workings but they are dedicated to one maybe two kids at the time but they help every child so if
00:11:03.600 they get asked for help they're not just going to say no so they're not just taking care of that one kid they're
00:11:08.800 taking care of as many kids as they can so they're actually doing way more than what I think everybody expects and in
00:11:15.600 the moment all you want to do is take care of the kids. All you want to do is a answer that question or guide them on that moment so that they can get feel
00:11:22.480 successful and move to the next thing that they're supposed to do in the classroom. So, paraprofessionals are crucial to our classrooms. They need to
00:11:29.600 be in the classrooms. They need to be valued and I think our district should really shed a light on that one.
00:11:35.839 Yeah, I agree. Well, the staff actually called me Uncle Lee because I would I was the guys always the teachers kids would go to me, can we can I have this?
00:11:42.240 Can I have that? Yeah, sure. Sure. Yeah. What do you you know? So, you got to start saying no occasionally to these kids. You know, took me a while where I
00:11:48.399 got strong enough with these second graders where I could say, "Go back to your seat." Yeah. No talking. But anyway, I think that's a really important point,
00:11:54.640 Meredith. So, um I mean, I was in the school district from 2003 as a parent.
00:12:00.160 From 2003 to 2023, so 20 years in the school district, one of my children had
00:12:05.600 an IEP. And and I can tell you that those um special education teachers, the
00:12:11.680 the paraprofessionals who work in these classrooms, they don't just work with the children who have IEPs. They work
00:12:17.279 with everybody in the classroom. And every classroom that has those that additional professional in the class is
00:12:24.160 incredibly lucky to be have that. So yeah, 100%. Yep. Now Meredith, question for you. Um you
00:12:31.600 might have some problem. You may have a problem here. Uh you grew up in Dallas. So, what do you have to say to these Giants fans that are no way in the world
00:12:38.560 they're going to vote for a Cowboys fan? So, where do you stand in that? Uh, sorry, but I don't actually know what
00:12:44.320 you're talking about. I am not that's not my level. That's not my interest. Okay. So, no footballs or Giants fans.
00:12:50.720 Okay. But I will say I am loyal to my husband and that he grew up in Wisconsin. So, we
00:12:57.040 are Wisconsin and Green Bay. And I actually went to the stakeholders meeting on our honeymoon. I did that for my husband. We went to the stakeholders
00:13:04.079 meeting and I sat through it and I was fascinated by publicly publicly owned
00:13:10.000 fascinating by that that to me was like yeah this is
00:13:15.120 community like community is the lifeblood of Green Bay. It is so cool and the way that it's structured and the
00:13:21.600 way that they communicate with everybody. I was like I have my mind is blown and I'm going to take that everywhere I can. Now, Meredith, you um
00:13:29.760 basically uh you began when your daughter enrolled uh at the SOSD prek
00:13:34.880 program. That's where your engagement with the district kind of began. You volunteered to serve on early childhood advisory council and then you were
00:13:41.360 appointed as a parent representative advocating for prek parents. That's a mouthful. You got it. That seems to me like what are we
00:13:47.760 looking for at a board of ed? That's what we're looking for with a board of ed, someone with that background. So, talk how did that kind of prepare you
00:13:53.839 for this moment? I appreciate that and I would actually say my involvement, put quotes around that, with the district
00:13:59.920 was the moment we moved here. I mean, it's impossible to not see what's going on in the district the moment you move
00:14:05.680 into the two towns. I really had to work hard to meet people and get to know the
00:14:10.720 community because we knew no one when we moved here. So, I planted myself everywhere I possibly could. I went into
00:14:16.160 this coffee chat. I went to a knitting group and I don't even knit. I joined all the Facebook groups. I did everything I could to connect with
00:14:21.920 people so that when my child was eligible to um be in the lottery for prek, I did not want to go in there
00:14:28.560 saying, "I don't know anybody." I wanted to go in there saying, "Oh, I saw you at this. Oh, I connected with you here. Oh,
00:14:33.920 I saw you at this." And that was true, which was really wonderful. Like, I felt more at home walking into that
00:14:40.240 classroom. And I feel like I could support my kid, too, and introduce her to kids. Does she remember everybody's
00:14:46.160 names? No. But that's okay. She's five. the early childhood advisory council that popped up in my inbox and I just
00:14:52.480 thought like I have to I want to because I want to be involved in my child's development and I also want to make sure
00:14:59.279 that like every kid gets what they need in their developmental stages. That's super important for me and I'm getting
00:15:05.040 my masters in clinical mental health counseling. So that's going to be a really big hot button for me. I'm
00:15:10.880 constantly going to be looking at is this best for the mental health and the wellness of our kids. They're learning
00:15:16.079 academics, but at the same time, are they learning how to be a good person? Are they learning how to be a citizen? Are they learning how to vote? Do they
00:15:22.079 know how to actually look at all the things that they have to consider? It's a lot of information to digest and you
00:15:27.440 don't have to know everything. But it's really important personally to not be a single issue voter. I've done that
00:15:33.839 before. I did that when I was 18. I just I'm going to do this, right? But you can't you really can't do that. It's a very slippery slope. It's a very
00:15:40.320 dangerous way to participate in government. Absolutely. Yeah, Melanie, uh you
00:15:46.800 touched on this just briefly, but uh you work for a nonprofit lender that finances affordable housing and community development projects. Um talk
00:15:54.000 about how that expertise is going to come in handy, you know, with this job. Sure. So, um this is what I've been
00:16:00.639 doing for the last 20 years. Um working for missiondriven organizations that basically take u private capital and
00:16:08.160 invest it in underserved communities. And when I say underserved, I mean underserved by that private capital. Um,
00:16:15.279 so those neighborhoods are starved of investment. Um, and so what we do as intermediaries is take the private
00:16:21.519 capital and invest it for some good in in these neighborhoods. That could mean anything from affordable housing to
00:16:28.880 community charter schools, community health centers, and small business development. um on a day-to-day basis,
00:16:36.480 what I really do is um I approve a lot of the investments that my company makes. And to approve an investment, you
00:16:43.199 are really looking at who is this investment finally serving? Who's going to live in the housing that is
00:16:49.120 developed? Um what are the community impacts of building this housing in this neighborhood? Does it serve serve the
00:16:55.440 people we're trying to to to support? Um does it have an environmental impact? um
00:17:01.040 does it cause harm to the environment or can we do something to make it better whether you know the people believe in
00:17:07.679 climate change or not? We also want to make sure that uh the housing that we are building is climate resilient given
00:17:13.119 what's going on across the world. Um and finally making sure that the the budget
00:17:19.599 works for all that we're trying to do. So we have resources which are private and public. The public resources comes
00:17:26.319 with certain formulaic rules and requirements. Uh the private capital
00:17:31.600 also comes with its own belts and suspenders. And then we're really trying to make sure that that fits to the
00:17:37.600 project that we're trying to finance. In a particular affordable housing project, you will have not unlimited
00:17:44.320 revenue because you're not, you know, your renters are not market renters. They are certain area median income
00:17:50.400 level renters. They are median income workforce housing. Um, and so your revenue is limited, your expenses are
00:17:56.880 what they are. So a lot of what we do is try to understand and make it work. Make
00:18:02.240 sure that our developers understand how to make that budget work and understand the constraints, understand where they
00:18:09.200 can push and pull. Um, and so I I can bring that lens to the to the work of
00:18:15.760 the board. Um, I have served on the board of a charter school in Brooklyn between 2014 and 2019 when it was
00:18:21.679 starting up. And I learned a lot about how state and federal monies can and can
00:18:27.679 be used to fill your budget um, and how to set a budget and what does that look like bas based on the students needs and
00:18:34.640 the kind of school you're trying to run. Um, I currently serve on a board of an organization in New York City called New
00:18:40.000 York City Energy Efficiency Corporation. very similar to uh what I already do which is again investing in in um infra
00:18:47.840 energy infrastructure. Um I love numbers. Um I I I I once I start I can't
00:18:54.880 stop. I've gone back and looked at the BOE the district budget. This this just this will give you a lot
00:19:00.960 of opportunity to look at numbers. Yes. Um and it just excites me. I mean it's it's the strangest thing. Um my my
00:19:06.320 family's always like this is what you you you're like excited to talk about because it's so like boring. But I love
00:19:12.799 it. Um and I love finding the big themes within the budget. I really like going
00:19:18.000 back and understanding why decisions were made the way they were made. Also, how do you make a budget that's so
00:19:24.960 complicated accessible to families and the community and make sure that they understand how decisions get made
00:19:31.840 because it is going to impact not just the kids who are in the district but the taxpayers in this district as well. So,
00:19:38.000 that's kind of my excitement for for this um um this yeah joining this board
00:19:44.000 if I can. So, here's a question to throw out for the three of you. Um uh Ian, is that you
00:19:49.600 coughing? No, it's not me. Okay. Okay, that we we're not going to tell you who was coughing, but uh any any case
00:19:55.200 it was me. It wasn't one of our guests. It was not one of our guests. That was Ian. It wasn't one of our guests. We'll edit that out. They're all 110% healthy.
00:20:01.679 That's right. Everyone's healthy here. Hey. Okay. Here's a question for you. For the three of you, uh since the three
00:20:06.880 of you, what are the three biggest challenges facing the district right now?
00:20:13.280 Let me start with since where I ended, which was the budget. Um our school budget. Um, you know, we've
00:20:21.280 heard this expression, we're sort of at this fiscal cliff. We have these ongoing deficits. Um, the fact of the matter is,
00:20:27.760 and I'm going to quote from some of the stats that I have here, which is that is that our expenses have risen about over
00:20:34.240 60% over the last 10 years. And over the last 3 years, our expenses have gone up 10 to 20 to 30%. Our revenues are
00:20:42.400 capped. Our revenues primarily come from taxes. Um, and then we get some state
00:20:47.520 aid. So, um, in an environment where expenses are continuing to rise and
00:20:52.960 revenues are are kind of where they are, trying to figure out how to make the
00:20:58.400 budget work, um, is going to be more of a problem and more of a challenge. Um,
00:21:03.760 we are constantly, I think, trying to figure out how to do the best with the money we have for all the kids. Um, but
00:21:10.960 at this point in time, we have taken from reserves to fill certain holes in the budget. um our debt has increased
00:21:18.000 from about 45 million 10 years ago to now 190 million and our district is our
00:21:23.600 community is paying for that. So really just you know we have I wouldn't want to
00:21:28.960 call it a crisis but we do have a a problem that we need to solve not just
00:21:34.720 this year but for the the long-term future and doing some long-term budget planning. So I think that is a big issue
00:21:41.280 um for this district. Paul, anything cross uh you can think of a big uh issue
00:21:46.480 that that's you you're like I'm going to get in there and I'm going to work on this one there. You know, we we obviously have a
00:21:51.840 number of challenges. I think one large bucket that I've been thinking about is is what I would call getting the basics
00:21:57.520 right. Um and I can give you an example or two. You know, um teachers need the
00:22:03.120 class materials, the books, the workbooks before the school year starts so that they can begin their planning.
00:22:08.880 and we've struggled a couple years in a row now to get teachers the books and the workbooks even as the school year
00:22:14.720 starts first couple year first couple weeks of school. Um I I'm sure most people know that the transportation
00:22:19.840 difficulties that we've had not just this year but but many school years back um that's a sort of perennial issue and
00:22:26.320 people have run on on fixing it but you know we still have a problem obviously and um you know related we we have a lot
00:22:32.799 of issues with special education um and and um and and getting the sort of
00:22:38.320 basics of it where kids IEPs are not being followed right that's uh I mean that's just not acceptable and it's and
00:22:43.440 it's illegal right um and so a lot of times in in uh school year schoolboard elections, there's a lot of painting
00:22:49.760 with big brushes and big visions and and that's all important, but there's sort of basic things uh blocking and tackling
00:22:55.600 that I think we can do that uh really move the ball in a in a meaningful way. And to Melany's point, a lot of this
00:23:01.760 stuff is not super expensive, right? Um it can be done within the budget, but it's about connecting those things and
00:23:06.880 providing the structures for our educators. Kind of sometimes things just kind of fall under the radar or whatnot. If a
00:23:13.600 kid is special needs, he's very quiet. he's not causing distractions in the classroom. Maybe he goes a little
00:23:20.000 unnoticed and I think things like that I would imagine. Meredith, anything uh that uh you know day one you're like,
00:23:26.720 "All right, guys. This is this is mine. This is Well, thankfully it's not the presidency and there isn't like a day one." I like
00:23:32.720 that pressure feels intense. First 100 days. Honestly, I I feel like we've already
00:23:38.159 been doing the work and that's how we've like framed ourselves with the listen, learn, lead. And it's like like why I
00:23:43.360 love these two people so much. um is that we make a great team. The balance between what we're bringing to
00:23:49.760 the board, nine people should have nine different walks of life, nine different experiences, nine different expertise.
00:23:56.960 No one should be an expert in anything that they become so laser focused. But my area is absolutely mental health,
00:24:05.440 physical health, the arts and music. That is my lifeblood. It has been a part
00:24:10.559 of my life my entire life. How many times can I say life? Um, I literally teach dance everywhere in these two
00:24:17.919 towns. It is something that allows me to be exactly who I am 100% of the time. I
00:24:23.440 am not someone who's great with words all the time. Um, that's why like dancing after school kept me out of
00:24:29.840 trouble. We just had a conversation with YouthNet and that was it was tough because the thing that just happened
00:24:36.000 recently, I don't have all the details, but someone who was young got drunk and I believe was driven away in an
00:24:42.799 ambulance. And that's terrifying to think about. I I don't have all the details so I don't you know I don't want to expand too much but they were talking
00:24:49.840 about that and there was an officer on the YouthNet board meeting talking about that and he was like I was shook because
00:24:56.240 how is this happening? And so now you're talking about the ecosystem of parents
00:25:01.440 and kids and teachers and what happens after the classroom and the district is
00:25:06.559 responsible for what happens inside the classroom. So, what can we do when they're in the building to make sure
00:25:11.760 that their life outside the building is not dangerous decisions? They're using critical thinking. I also really value
00:25:19.200 the fact that I was I think I was 22 when the invite to Facebook popped up.
00:25:27.120 So, I was an relatively an adult before social media. And we have children that
00:25:33.440 have it well before. I don't think they know they don't understand what it is. and being able to decide what is safe to
00:25:40.880 share, not to share, who are you sharing from, what are you participating in, that is extremely important. It's not,
00:25:48.000 you know, I don't want to get too laser focused on it, but again, going back to critical thinking skills. So, curriculum
00:25:53.279 and instruction is really important to me. Um, making sure that our guidance counselors have everything that they
00:25:59.200 need and that they um are not stretched too thin. And you know, I'm really proud
00:26:04.880 of the district that they have filled almost every seat when it comes to staffing, but I think now we can look at
00:26:11.120 that and say, okay, do you have what you need? Are you feeling like you can be efficient? What is missing? Now, truly,
00:26:18.240 that's not actually the board's job. That is the district's job. But it's hard not to talk about the district
00:26:24.240 because that's what the board does. The board guides the superintendent. And so I would be honored if I could be a part
00:26:30.559 of that guidance and asking those critical thinking questions because I think it's very easy to become tunnel
00:26:36.400 vision on certain things and then we we do have those gaps, we have those holes and things fall apart.
00:26:43.440 Melanie, if I can add one more thing, um I think um you know we everyone that moves to
00:26:49.679 Maplewood and South Orange, they're not just moving here because it's 40 minutes from New York City and that's the only
00:26:56.480 convenience. Um, we come here because it's a diverse a richly diverse um,
00:27:01.919 community and and it's a community. It is not just a bunch of houses where people come home and sleep and go back
00:27:07.600 to New York City. Um, we see that in the small businesses that we have here. We see that in the way we engage with each
00:27:13.520 other. Um, we see that in the diversity of the population. Um and we want to
00:27:19.039 make sure that we our values are, you know, steadfast um in no matter what
00:27:24.320 headwinds might come our way. Um you know, as a community, as a board, we're able to kind of uphold our values um
00:27:30.799 that we collectively care about. So, I think that's something that three of us really uh kind of espouse and and and
00:27:36.320 want to bring forth as well. 100%. Yeah. And when you talk about community, I've I've joked around Ian before. when you run for office here and
00:27:42.960 Ian's familiar with this because he's been uh he's been in office. He was vice mayor for many years and uh uh there's a
00:27:48.960 paparazzi here in when you're in office it's of course you got the leanian show you know
00:27:55.120 you got the village green we're coming after you that's right but you do you have a you know there but you also have these groups these these Facebook groups or
00:28:01.520 whatnot and they're very active and as a matter of fact you know I I was looking on them earlier to see what what's the
00:28:06.720 vibe right now and I'm not seeing like last year the buses aren't operating the III is not working the teachers don't
00:28:13.840 have a contract uh the Sanchez stuff was still kind of up in the air. True. Digs
00:28:19.039 have kind of calmed down. The teachers have a contract now, I guess. Um, which is great news. Sanchez,
00:28:26.159 thankfully he's back where he belongs. He's great at Columbia. But, uh, but being that you're a a
00:28:32.159 dancer's turn to the arts must be very important to you and I know that there have been some concerns about that here
00:28:37.200 in Soma. Uh, anything and that's not just for you, Meredith, but the arts. I know that, you know, parents are
00:28:43.520 concerned that some of these programs that the money's not there is. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a great question and I'm
00:28:49.600 glad you asked it. Um, when I first moved here, I so my license is at um the
00:28:55.039 state of Indiana. And I was looking to get reciprocity so that I could either
00:29:00.080 apply for music education jobs or be a sub. And it was very interesting in 20 I think it was 2021 2022 how many
00:29:07.520 vacancies there were. and I was looking for my own employment, but it did make
00:29:13.120 me realize like we have a high need here for making sure that when we get teachers that they stay and that there's
00:29:19.760 consistency in every program and that for me the arts are core. It's something
00:29:25.039 I've never personally questioned. So when someone asks me about the arts, it's so part of my nature that I will
00:29:32.720 say I need to get more critical thinking about it. I actually need to look at all the policies and all the information that the district has and say are we
00:29:39.600 actually do is my thinking part of this district's thinking. It's a really really good thought to have and um so
00:29:47.120 yeah that popped up in uh one of the groups and I'm glad that question was asked. That's that's the kind of like
00:29:54.080 approach that I will take to the board of ask me any question. No, I will not respond immediately. Sometimes that
00:30:00.799 needs to be okay too. I need to take a moment and think about it and do my own research because I I shouldn't have
00:30:06.640 every answer at the ready. Those people actually make me a little nervous because then it feels like they're too
00:30:11.840 expert in everything. When's the last time you actually learn something more, right? So, I am someone who is going to take a
00:30:18.399 moment and respond, especially when it's related to a group decision. That's the
00:30:23.840 other thing is I'm a person, but it's, you know, we're a group. Yeah.
00:30:29.039 Go ahead. Uh so, yeah. and and the arts are really crucial to this community in particular.
00:30:34.159 Um we are a very artsforward district and I think we're all really proud of that. We want to maintain that and going
00:30:40.880 back to something I think Meredith said earlier about single issue voters um I think it's important to recognize with
00:30:46.159 the arts for example how much it's connected to so many other things. when we talk about um you know classroom
00:30:52.000 management, behavior issues, uh harassment, intimidation, bullying, the arts are often the only outlet for some
00:30:57.679 kids and that's something they really connect to in a way that they don't connect to with uh with their academics. Um we need we talk about facilities.
00:31:04.559 There are a lot of facilities needs and and one thing I will you know applaud the the district on recently is that they invested in in fixing the stages,
00:31:11.760 right? And so we need to evaluate our facilities and see if they're um up to the task. And and and the other, you know, pieces with the arts and with a
00:31:18.559 lot of other things we talked about community, there's a lot of these community organizations that fill the gap uh and provide funding and provide
00:31:25.360 opportunities to kids um not just in the arts, but but in all all different kinds of areas. And and that's one real
00:31:30.960 strength of ours. you know, a lot of districts do not have the kind of uh
00:31:36.000 social and institutional groups that to to support things happening outside of, you know, the strict uh class uh
00:31:41.760 classroom uh school day. Did you want to answer? And I'm just going to say um from my own
00:31:48.320 personal experience when you guys talk about like one issue voters, like one issue voters kill me.
00:31:55.440 That's the chair of the Democratic Party. Yeah. I only that's the only thing I care about talking about one issue voters.
00:32:02.000 Yes, we got to we got to mention it. Turf. Okay. So, I know you know that's that's
00:32:07.519 that's the one that just seems like you either are are for it and you're going to beat up somebody if they're against
00:32:13.760 it or you're against it. You're going to beat up somebody. You know that there seems to be no middle ground. Um what's
00:32:19.760 our thoughts on on the on the turf uh situation? So, um, as a parent, um, of a
00:32:25.679 child who plays soccer, freshman soccer, um, from a parents standpoint, I know
00:32:30.720 the pain that parents feel and the frustration they feel because the board
00:32:36.320 has decided and voted two times um, on turfing gritsfield and we are still at a
00:32:42.320 place where that has not happened um, because of budget issues. back when we did it prior to covid went for went to
00:32:49.679 the uh b for budget um approval and then covid happened and we had to pivot and
00:32:55.519 in those years you know the the field hasn't been maintained to the best the way that it can be maintained uh given
00:33:01.679 that it's a grass field um the board has voted twice the last um appro the board approval was in July we we are not going
00:33:09.600 to stand and against that vote if we get voted on into this board so so that's a
00:33:15.600 position that we're very clear on if some new information I mean I'm expecting that there will be a
00:33:22.159 discussion maybe it's just a revisiting of the what was presented earlier um or
00:33:27.679 if it's some new information as board members the right thing for us to do is review that within the time frame we're
00:33:33.279 given ask our questions and expeditiously move towards revoting uh
00:33:38.880 for for that okay so so uh where does it stand right now because I I I lost a little bit your
00:33:44.720 paw Um, are we looking is it looking like it's going to be green lit uh turf? Yes. So, the board did as as Melanie
00:33:51.440 said, they voted and it was unanimous. It was 8-0 over uh over the summer for turf. For turf. So, um and as you know, as
00:33:57.679 Molly pointed out, I I don't it's not wise from a governance standpoint to have board members coming in saying,
00:34:03.600 "Well, now I'm going to I'm going to uh try to undo everything that I didn't like." And I actually think that it
00:34:09.679 really um disintegrates trust and it disintegrates um the uh ability of
00:34:16.480 administrators to do their job. We see that going on nationally right now. So absolutely. Yes. I'm I'm familiar with a different
00:34:22.879 nine member body that sits in DC that has people who come on and they just try to undo everything that came before.
00:34:28.719 And uh and and that's that's toxic. And and and could I just hit on one other piece because we're talking about divisive issues, single issue voters.
00:34:35.119 Look, there's a lot of strong opinions in our town, and I'm actually very proud to say that our our supporters include
00:34:41.918 very proturf and very anti-turf people. I think that's actually a strength that we have. We're not running to be
00:34:47.280 ideological and single and and kind of single uh you know um monomomaniacal. Um
00:34:53.280 and I think the people that support us on different sides of different issues, it's not so much that we agree on every
00:34:58.560 single thing down the line. what it is. I think people trust that we are going to again listen, learn, and lead and
00:35:04.480 that they trust our judgment. They trust that they'll be respected and heard and that we will work with everybody on the
00:35:09.920 board to try to, you know, arrive at the wisest decisions that we can. That's great. Yeah. So, you Hey, this is
00:35:16.000 a team effort, the board. We want to work with you. We're not going to we're not going to come in and start rewriting all the rules that um we want. See,
00:35:23.280 that's a type of uh See, I ran for office years ago. Uh Ian was actually the head of the Maplewood Democratic
00:35:28.560 Committee. I ran. I lost. And Ian said he didn't think I'd be a team player. So that was uh I never said that. I said maybe you
00:35:35.359 should contact the Republicans. That's right. Not no vacancies, I think, is what I
00:35:40.880 What do you mean no vacancies? I'm running. But uh that's how he and I became friends actually many years ago. U I I was running. I would come to him
00:35:47.280 for advice. He would tell me uh you know uh how to lose and No, no, but he would he would give me the right advice.
00:35:53.680 No, I always give everybody I just ran against uh whether I support them or not. I ran against anybody. I ran against a great candidate, Victor Lucas.
00:36:00.240 You did. He ran against Victor Lucas. So, that was very courageous on your part. That's right. So, why don't we take a short break in and we'll come back. We
00:36:06.880 want to get into the the triple lie. Maybe talk a little bit about that and um uh anything else that uh sounds good
00:36:13.280 we can think of during the break. All right. So, we'll be right back. Mr. Griffin, your response? Maybe something about education.
00:36:19.520 Well, I I have always cared deeply about young people. As a rich collegebound student, I once joined some
00:36:25.440 underprivileged youths in saving a community center for being converted into a shopping mall.
00:36:32.560 Peter, that wasn't you. That was Adalfo Shabadoo and breaking two electric bugaloo. You watched it last night.
00:36:40.960 And we're back. The Lean Ian show. Ian, we're back on the air. We're back on the air. We're back on the air. Yes, we are. Yes,
00:36:46.640 we are. So, everybody get myself together. That's right. Everyone's got your bathroom break. You got your drink break. We're all We're all ready to
00:36:52.079 roll. So, um guys, um again, looking at some of the Facebook uh comments and that's
00:36:58.640 that's how I got a feel for kind of what's going on with the schools because all you got to do is read some of these groups. Um now, um the II, okay, which
00:37:07.280 the intentional integration initiative, it's entering its fifth year. Um I guess
00:37:13.359 it's it's not perfect. There's been issues. Paul, maybe can you talk a little bit what it is exactly? Maybe and
00:37:19.760 and where we are with it. You know, maybe um right Ian. Yeah, Paul probably
00:37:24.960 did a better job of explaining it. Good at that. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, we have the intentional integration initiative as as you noted it's in its
00:37:30.880 fifth year. It is uh an attempt to make each school look like the district as a
00:37:36.079 whole socioeconomically, particularly and racially as well. Um this is not our
00:37:41.200 first rodeo in terms of integration. We've been doing different versions of it for a few decades now. And you know,
00:37:46.720 I think it's an important part of who we are as a district. Something that Malani said is people come here not just uh
00:37:53.359 because they want their kids to go to college and career. Of course, they want that, but they also want to live in a diverse and inclusive community where
00:37:59.119 where kids are uh learning from and interacting with people who are different than them, right? So, um you
00:38:04.320 know, integration is really important. uh and I think the question for us sort of going forward is you know how do we
00:38:10.640 preserve the goals of integration while um making changes along the way that
00:38:15.920 make things a little easier for folks um and that you know are are around good process so uh one of the things we you
00:38:22.640 know uh that that you know that I care about and I think Melanie do too is you know uh there's been changes to triple I
00:38:28.640 since it started right um and changes integration right how do we make those changes what are the principles by which we are evaluating whether they ought to
00:38:35.119 be made and and also the process who goes through it. We have a the Alves group. It's um I think it's Michael Alves who's uh the outside basically
00:38:42.640 expert who runs the algorithm. Uh and it's my view that if you're going to make changes to the triple I uh you talk
00:38:47.839 to that group about it and see well what are the impacts going to be and what's it going to look like. So the II so my understanding and just
00:38:55.359 taking a little step further is the idea was okay this school is going to have x amount of kids whose parents make
00:39:01.680 $200,000 a year x amount who make under $100,000 or under $50,000 you might 200
00:39:09.119 kids like that you know and and then the next school have the same idea so they're financially you have rich kids poor kids medium range I'm not poor kids
00:39:16.400 probably a bad thing to say but you know what I'm saying rich medium and high medium low Ian right is that what I'm
00:39:21.760 different income levels, right? People of all different socioeconomic backgrounds and income levels, right? Right. Yes. I apologize for the
00:39:27.599 uh the way I described it, but yeah, but basically, you're excited and and has has that been is it does it
00:39:33.680 exist now in Soma? Is is that how these schools are lined up right now? I mean,
00:39:39.440 a question for anybody, you know. Yeah. the the the the um the initiative
00:39:44.800 is um based on an algorithm which basically as you described has multiple tiers of um
00:39:52.720 families of different socioeconomic levels and the idea is to kind of have equal representation across each of the
00:40:00.320 schools elementary and middle. Um and so that is how it is working. Um to answer
00:40:06.000 your question now last year or the year before I you the busing the busing my kids late 45
00:40:11.280 minutes this that it's it's terrible uh why are they doing this has that been
00:40:16.480 corrected it was the busing situation a better problem now or a less of a problem I should say
00:40:21.760 so the busing situation is a situation it is it has it has been a situation
00:40:29.359 regardless of the triple eye initiative yes it there is more of a a require time
00:40:34.800 in for busing or the transportation has been one of the offshoot issues that has
00:40:40.000 come about as a result of implementing this integration initiative. Um and so that is something that the district has
00:40:46.560 to solve for just whether you had integration or not, our transportation is not working the best way possible.
00:40:53.359 The bus routes are long, kids are not getting picked up on time regardless of which school they're going to. So that
00:40:59.280 is something we really do have to solve for and I know the superintendent has you know has pivoted quickly this last
00:41:05.520 week um in terms of like trying to solve for all the issues that came up about in the first two weeks of school. So that's
00:41:11.520 good to see. Um but transportation is not
00:41:17.119 the issues with transportation are not just a result of implementing the um the
00:41:22.240 AA initiative for it. For example, um the district got rid of our own fleet of
00:41:27.599 buses many years ago and we have then had to rely on third party vendors to provide transportation. There are only a
00:41:35.119 small pool, I think about nine or 10 vendors that provide transportation in our area. Seven of those vendors don't
00:41:42.560 have GPS tracking. So, we're left with choosing from two vendors. And so, you know, we're those are the issues around
00:41:48.960 um busing um that are, you know, have to be solved for. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I just I
00:41:56.000 just wanted to say too because um again, my children have not been in elementary school for many years, but my children
00:42:01.119 went to Seth Bdon um when Seth Bdon was an opt-in school. Um for one of my children, they did take the bus every
00:42:07.520 day. You know, to the to the bus company's credit, you know, there are
00:42:13.040 different routes every single year. There are different children on these buses every single year and it does take
00:42:20.400 some time for people to get it right and so it's it's almost 20 years that we've
00:42:26.079 had an issue with children who take buses to school often times will be late you know
00:42:31.200 the first few weeks they kind so it's not you know because of the intentional integration initiative it's
00:42:37.599 it's just something I think that's inherent in um children taking transportation to school right and and
00:42:43.839 the people who work for the transportation companies having to to get used to these new routes, to these
00:42:48.880 new kids on the bus. It's it's it's always going to be like a period of adjustment.
00:42:53.920 I do have to give a little credit to um Superintendent Bing because when we were at the South Orange community event, we
00:42:59.520 had a moment at the end to be able to talk to him. Poor guy. He was like there was a line of people just waiting to
00:43:05.680 talk to him. And I asked him, I said, "So, how was your bus ride?" And he was like, "Actually, it was pretty great.
00:43:12.560 Like the kids are really happy. They're having fun." Now, this does not negate the length of time and being late, but
00:43:18.240 it it is I feel like it gave a moment of I don't want to say the kids are okay,
00:43:24.640 but he was able to see that like there are human beings on these buses. We have to prioritize this. They are doing the
00:43:31.119 best they can to enjoy the moment that they're that they have on the bus to get to school, but it is disruptive. and the
00:43:37.200 emails that he sent out with very specific bullet points of like these are the things we're tackling, this is what we're doing. And then he also has a
00:43:43.920 survey, please fill it out. If you are still struggling with the transportation system, please fill it out. Fill it out
00:43:49.359 multiple times. Why not? Like it's an opportunity to use your voice and tell the district if we don't talk to the
00:43:54.640 district, how are they going to know? And obviously this is a big issue. So a lot of people are talking to the district. I also have to say with the um
00:44:01.520 the Seth Bdon, my kid is in Seth Bdon and uh I'm partaking in the PTA and I
00:44:08.079 posed a question in our Facebook group very gently because it is it is a pain point, a really big one.
00:44:13.760 Um and it's people are trying to get to work too. But I don't want to belver the point. The point is the positive side of
00:44:19.280 it is that um when I posted this question, I said, "How's everybody doing? You know, I've been watching the
00:44:26.319 emails because we don't ride the bus this year. we did last year. Um, I've been watching the emails. I've been
00:44:31.599 watching all the posts. Like, how's everybody doing at BDON? And every color bus replied with a very constructive,
00:44:39.839 this is what's going on. This has improved. This has not, but we are hopeful. I'm glad they're doing
00:44:45.839 something about it. Like, it was very it it just speaks to the fact that I think people just want to be communicated to.
00:44:53.440 They just want to feel a part of the conversation and they want to know that they've been heard. And I think I would
00:44:58.880 like to say maybe it's just COVID, but I also think it's like our ecosystem as two towns is that we can't stop talking
00:45:05.359 to each other. We have to get out there. We have to ask the questions. We also need the community to speak to the board
00:45:11.440 to the district with I don't want to keep using the word calm, but just if we come to the table
00:45:17.520 aggressive and loud, it makes it harder to really get to the root and have the real discussion. So, taking a breath
00:45:23.920 before you just go into attack mode. But I also understand when you go into attack mode, it is coming from a place
00:45:29.520 of pain. So you know that is seen by listener and lead and that's why we are
00:45:35.040 actively getting out there. We are not we are going to do our absolute best to make sure that every population no
00:45:41.440 matter what the background is, no matter what the socioeconomic status like we're providing caregivers, we're providing
00:45:47.119 babysitters for our coffees so that if that is a painoint for you, you can be there. We have forms that people can
00:45:52.319 fill out so that they can communicate. I mean, this is what we will do when we are elected to the board. Can I say
00:45:57.839 when? Um, but point being is when we're on the board. I know when we're on the board, like this these are the kind of things
00:46:04.079 that we will like guide for the superintendent. We're obviously not going to take these actions, but this is
00:46:10.160 the kind of guidance I think that people need to feel empowered that they doing more is not just exhausting. Doing more
00:46:16.640 will actually give you the results you're looking for. Now, there's three uh seats that are opening up. three incumbents are not
00:46:22.800 running again for uh office. So it's it's you have a there's another slate uh Kaplan uh Donahghue and and Richie. Um
00:46:31.760 what I guess what's the biggest difference between your slate and the one they're running? Is there something
00:46:36.800 that stands out in your mind that you're like what are they doing? What are they thinking? you know.
00:46:43.119 Well, you know, I I uh I've gotten the chance to meet them uh uh briefly, you
00:46:48.560 know, um uh and uh I don't want to uh say anything negative about them. Um
00:46:54.000 they're they're opponents right now. Yeah. You know, it's that's that's all it's fair love and war. But as and I and I'll note, you know,
00:46:59.359 it's it's a non-zero chance that uh one or two of us win and one or two of them
00:47:04.560 uh win and we're colleagues, right? Um, but I think in terms of what distinguishes the the slates, I think one is the background of our candidates.
00:47:11.520 Um, you know, uh, Meredith and I both have education backgrounds. Melanie talked about her budget and finance
00:47:17.280 background. I think that's really important. Um, and if a missiondriven organization, right,
00:47:22.400 too, which is very important and working with public uh, entities, right? Absolutely. Uh, so I think that
00:47:27.760 experience is really helpful. Um, we've committed and and Meredith was just talking about this, to listening to as
00:47:33.040 many people, as many different groups as we can in an affirmative fashion. Um, and and another thing, we're committed
00:47:39.359 to working with everybody else on the board and with the administration. One one thing that I think Lee, your question sort of gets at is, uh,
00:47:45.839 everyone in the board on the board right now is in their first term, and that's going to be true next year, right? So, we have a very new board.
00:47:52.240 We have a new superintendent, new business office, new special services ahead. So we need to build some
00:47:58.640 stability and that starts with good governance and people working together. So that that's something we're really focused on.
00:48:04.000 You know, I just want Lee's probably gonna make fun of me for this, right? But so you know my work most of my work
00:48:10.079 is as a mediator, right? And I always tell people as a mediator, I think the greatest gift that you can give anybody
00:48:15.839 is to let them know that they've been heard. Right. And so what the two of you are saying and you too as well is that
00:48:22.079 you know you you want people to be heard. You want to give them the opportunity to speak. you want them to give the opportunity to know that
00:48:28.079 somebody is listening to them. That I think is a great way to go through life. So,
00:48:33.119 good for you. And if I can, if I can just add one more thing, um my kids are in Colombia High
00:48:39.119 School and I've been in this district since uh 2012, since my kids were, you
00:48:44.319 know, preschool and 10 months old. Um, so I'm the only candidate that has the
00:48:49.760 perspective of everything that has happened in this district between the changes in uh the superintendence, all
00:48:56.720 the the tumultuousness with COVID um and postco and so I have that sort of
00:49:02.400 historic perspective um and also just a respect for what teachers do on a daily
00:49:08.319 basis. I've seen it in action for the last 13 years and so I think I bring that that unique voice as well. Um, so I
00:49:17.119 think that's makes us different, right? Okay. I um, you know, good point
00:49:22.160 that Paul brought up just for those who are maybe this your first rodeo here in S. So you can vote for three of the
00:49:29.200 candidates, two of them, one of them, one for it's though they're running together as a team, as a slate, you
00:49:35.359 know, that's that's still it's a separate in individual vote. But uh and I think it's important to tell people too in Maplewood and South
00:49:41.599 Orange, this could potentially be the most important vote that you have this year. Of course, we're voting for
00:49:46.880 governor. You know, as the chair of the Democratic party, I'm going to tell you that's a very important vote as well. Um
00:49:52.559 but your school board vote is very very important. As Malan said earlier on, you
00:49:58.720 know, about being that the fiscal cliff, right? It's it's a very very important time to get thoughtful, reasonable, and
00:50:05.440 intelligent people on the board. and you know your paying attention to what's going on in this election cycle becomes
00:50:12.079 that much more important as a result. Right? So what was it? 60 65 70% of your taxes. 60% of your tax go to the school board,
00:50:18.960 right? So So that's actually I mean that's where your most of your money is going. It's going to the So this is an
00:50:24.480 important vote for you and uh uh we have three outstanding candidates sitting here with us today, Ian. So we're very
00:50:29.920 excited about that. Um lucky as podcast hosts to have you guys. That's right. Yes. We really do
00:50:35.200 appreciate you guys coming in. U yeah I mean this is an exciting time. So what are your thoughts on Bing? Now this is his second year or third year
00:50:41.920 Superintendent Bing. uh he came in, he goes with the hard-hitting questions, right? I mean, you know, he's um um I I
00:50:48.960 hear good things. I mean, you know, uh we had some turbulence before he came in
00:50:54.079 and I again, I just sense when you don't when people don't seem to be that angry anymore, but yeah. Have you met him?
00:51:00.240 What are your thoughts on him? I have actually. So, I was um not
00:51:05.599 privileged, but I had a moment after kind of towards the end of the early childhood advisory council. We had four
00:51:12.640 meetings over the course of the year and every single meeting we kind of talked about, you know, what do we need? How do
00:51:18.559 we engage parents more? And I helped um put all the satellite locations
00:51:24.480 basically on one thread of like let's talk to each other. We're all in like 10 different buildings. We should feel like
00:51:30.800 we're part of the district. And all the pain points were very similar. And I wasn't surprised about that. And I
00:51:36.720 thought, I wonder if because we're so spread out and it's such a quick time over like two years, some won maybe
00:51:44.400 people zero because they didn't get into the lottery. Um it's such a quick time. I want to put together like a document
00:51:50.800 information of like can we do can we share this with someone? And at the time I was like I don't really know where to
00:51:56.640 go with this except for the ECAC. And they recommended go to the board and I said oh okay. And so I went to the
00:52:03.200 board. I emailed the board and I got a lot of really wonderful responses and then I got the opportunity to actually
00:52:09.280 present this document to Bing, superintendent Bing and I was very like
00:52:15.920 I can get a little um fang girl with some people because I think what he does is a lot. That job is impossible. It
00:52:22.559 really is impossible. you are responsible for so much and you are accountable for so much and I think he
00:52:29.200 is taking our district in stride and doing the best he absolutely can to move the ball quickly forward but he does
00:52:37.119 need a board that will also make sure okay let's pause for a second are we sure like does this make sense for
00:52:43.440 everyone is this inclusive of everyone are we really listening along the way I don't think he doesn't do a good job of
00:52:49.760 that but that's where we can help him that's where we can guide him and that's where he can lean on us as a support system to be like, "Use the nine of us
00:52:57.520 to go out there and gather extra information because your job is to be a busy superintendent. Your job is to go
00:53:03.760 to all the different buildings. Your job is to touch base with all your administrators. That's your job. You focus on that. Why doesn't the board
00:53:09.839 like be more involved in the community?" Um, and if I can just add, having moved
00:53:15.920 to Maplewood when I think Superintendent Ramos was the superintendent and then we had Taylor, um, I would say a couple of
00:53:22.720 things from a parental standpoint. Um, the first thing is that communication seems to be improved. Um, not just the
00:53:30.880 level of communication, but what is being communicated, how succinctly it's being communicated, how easy is it to
00:53:37.760 access the right information at the right points in time. Um I looked at the budget presentations and you know
00:53:44.640 they're good. Um there's you know we could improve it. There are things we could do a little bit differently but they're good um when you go back you
00:53:51.280 know in history. So, I think he's, as to Meredith, Meredith's point, he's stabilized um the district operations
00:53:57.760 and the business unit, but you know, he's still new. Uh the business unit is new. Um and so, you know, our job is to
00:54:05.040 make sure that we continue as if we are elected to hold the district and
00:54:10.720 superintendent Bing accountable for the goals that the district sets out and to make those goals achievable within the
00:54:16.720 budget that's available. Excellent. Paul, question for you now. You ran last year and then you managed
00:54:23.920 Jane Collins Colding's uh campaign for township committee, right? I believe I believe. Uh I did. Yeah. Right. And
00:54:29.440 And he still is. And he still is. That's right. She's actually um running in November. She's on the but uh there's no Republican
00:54:36.559 running against her, right? So she's running on she's running on opposed. Okay. So um but she she and Paul are not taking
00:54:42.480 anything for granted. Right. But but Paul Paul was like I could step away a little bit and and get back into my campaign since I think it's
00:54:47.839 going to be smooth s. My So my question to you, Paul, you're running again. What's What do you like better? Do you like running or do you like running
00:54:53.119 somebody helping someone else run? What's What's more fun? Oh, uh I I would say running a running
00:54:58.800 somebody else's campaign is more fun. Okay. Um uh and I'm trying to take sabatical from Jane's campaign, but she won't let me.
00:55:04.640 So I'm still I'm still on the payroll. Ask me how much I'm how much money I make doing it. Right. Well, that's that's the
00:55:10.880 campaign managers don't make a lot of money. I'm making zero dollars doing that. But but Jane's a wonderful get a Visa gift card at the end.
00:55:17.200 All right. that works out. And a free seat at township committee meetings, right?
00:55:22.240 Front row seats all year. Front row pew. That's right. I know. But I think Jane's wonderful. I think she's going to be really great on the township
00:55:27.920 committee. Um, you know, uh, yeah, I have been involved in a couple different campaigns. Um, you
00:55:33.839 know, and I think, you know, politics is really important. Uh, we saw this with the last election. Um,
00:55:39.839 elections matter. Uh, Ian talked about board of ed election that really matters. This governor's election is
00:55:46.000 absolutely crucial. And I urge everybody, you know, whether you vote for us for
00:55:51.280 board of vet or not, please please uh vote for governor. Um it is a it's such
00:55:57.280 an important race. Um but you know, yeah. Am I allowed to say who who you should vote for?
00:56:02.960 You you can I would say vote for Mike Cheryl. Yeah. I don't think that's shocking to
00:56:09.040 everybody. Please and us. Yeah. Vote for us, too. But yes,
00:56:14.160 very good. Good point. Thank you, Melanie. Very good. That's a smart politician. One F, two F, and 3F.
00:56:20.559 There we go. Very good. One thing I will say about Paul, again, you know, to me, when somebody runs for off, anybody who runs for office, I
00:56:27.280 always salute because, you know, it's you're saying, I want to I want to improve my community. I want to be a part of it. I, you know, and
00:56:33.440 and you're putting yourself on the line. And you're putting yourself on the line. So, when you run once and you lose and
00:56:38.960 you're like like me and you're like, I'm not gonna do that again. You know, that was that wasn't really that was not really in my wheelhouse. But in your
00:56:45.760 case, you weren't you didn't get the results you wanted, but you came back a second time. You're like, "This is the
00:56:51.040 guy that wants this. This is a guy that really wants to be involved. He's willing to take, you know, he's willing
00:56:56.240 to come back and say, "I'll do that again." And I salute you for that. I really do. Well, I'll tell you, campaigning,
00:57:02.480 knocking on doors, talking to people, uh, is a a really a life-changing experience. And I encourage anybody,
00:57:08.480 whether you're comfortable run being the person on the ballot or not, go knock on doors for a candidate that you care about. You will hear the most incredible
00:57:14.799 stories from people. You'll hear wonderful things. You'll hear gut-wrenching things. And part of why I'm running is, you know, the district
00:57:21.760 has a frustratingly large amount of potential. There's so much we can do. We have such
00:57:26.960 great teachers. We have incredible students and and and we we and yet we
00:57:32.160 can do so much better, right? And so that's really what motivates me. Campaigning is not easy. Uh but I think
00:57:37.280 you do do it to try to increase the opportunities for students because they really deserve it. Well, and and I'm going to say to your point, Paul, so Lee
00:57:44.000 has talked about often on the podcast when he did run for the township committee, right? And and you know, we all know Lee, he's a funny guy. He's
00:57:50.640 entertaining, but he talked about the fact when he was campaigning and he was going door todo that that was a
00:57:56.079 life-changing experience for you. I had met a woman and again, I was I wasn't taking it so seriously. I didn't
00:58:02.160 wasn't sure I was going to win, but I figured, you know what, to tell you the truth, I I was so immature. It was like I was like, I'm just going to run to be
00:58:07.359 popular and I'll have all sorts of friends. everybody will like me and you know the village green will write about me. I mean kind of but I I knocked on a
00:58:14.240 woman's door and she invited me in and she started to cry and she said that she was losing her house. Uh the mortgage,
00:58:20.559 you know, was she was in trouble. She was underwater and she's struggling just to keep her kids in the district so that
00:58:27.680 they could graduate with their friends. You know, she had two kids in high school. She said, "If I could just get to that then, you know, um can you help
00:58:35.280 me?" I didn't really know what I can do to help her, but uh she said, "If I vote for you, do you promise me you'll try?"
00:58:41.520 You know, and I left there and I said, "She's going to vote for me. I have to try." And and that was,
00:58:47.599 you know, I mean, I'm sure that you guys experiencing that, too. You know, you're experiencing people that are saying, "Please, what can you
00:58:54.079 do?" And uh it is life-changing. I think that's something like even before this the whole concept of
00:59:01.200 campaigning, I wrapped it around my head. um that listen, learn, lead. We
00:59:07.920 mold over a lot of different words and we just kept coming back to that one because it just felt not ideological. It
00:59:15.680 felt like human and exactly what we want our kids to be doing when they now, but
00:59:22.559 also when they become adults. And so what is the action of that? You can't just say I'm going to listen. You can't
00:59:28.720 just say I'm going to learn. And you can't just say you're going to lead. So what are the actions of that listening? We're hosting a ton of coffees if you're
00:59:34.720 interested. We are like probably never going to sleep again, but we want to hear everybody's voices.
00:59:40.559 November 6th. Yeah. Um, so yes, exactly. Oh, I just clued in
00:59:45.920 on that one. Um, but anyways, so you know, the learning part is like digesting all that information so that
00:59:52.079 we can say, okay, how do we actually put this in action? And some of the things we can't we can't solve everything. And
00:59:57.599 I think it's unrealistic to also think that the district can solve everything. we shouldn't put that much pressure on the district, but we can hold them
01:00:04.319 accountable to the things that a public school is required legally to do. And
01:00:09.520 then when there are gaps, if the district really can't do it, and I that has to be a reality that we all digest,
01:00:16.400 then what can we do about it? And that's where this community, like Paul said, is so special. There are so many entities
01:00:22.880 that just are already pumping the schools with that support that a public
01:00:28.640 school budget can't cover. And that's what that's what you do. Like I think that at the most base level,
01:00:35.760 the more that you can support your community, the more that you give, the better everything gets.
01:00:42.559 Yeah, that's great. So, uh, not as if they didn't already learn so much about you guys during this podcast, where can they learn more? I
01:00:49.119 know you guys have a website and uh where can they get some information about you? Facebook groups. Tell us about your stuff and where
01:00:55.440 people can find out about the coffees as well. And the coffees. Yep. Yep. Totally. So, we have all the typical stuff. We have a Facebook page. So,
01:01:01.520 follow us there. Um we have a website. It's Psalms D O E 2025. Obviously, we
01:01:09.280 have confidence in ourselves. Um and then Instagram is the same. The Facebook is the same. So, please follow us on
01:01:15.440 Instagram, follow us on Facebook, go to our website. We do have our vision there. Um, but that's not the end of it.
01:01:21.920 That vision is really important. That's where we kind of started as the three of us. So, we're going to be posting blog
01:01:27.520 posts as we do all these coffees so that we can share what we're learning and then how we're kind of shaping further
01:01:33.119 into our vision. You're never really done learning and that's word number two. Um, so the booking of coffee will
01:01:38.960 be on the website. If you go to I believe it's meet us. Meet us. If you go
01:01:45.200 to meet us, there's a bunch of links where you can get a lawn sign, you can donate. We really do need donations. If
01:01:50.559 you can help us get the word out, making sure that everybody is educated about who the candidates are and what they
01:01:56.640 stand for and what they're going to bring to the board, that's, you know, that is your duty. Um, so help us get
01:02:02.559 the word out about us and yeah, you can also just reach out to us directly. We we're here.
01:02:07.839 So that website is soomsdoe2025.com. Correct. Okay. Pretty cool. And uh you could also
01:02:14.799 contact you, reach you at somd boe2025gmail.com.
01:02:19.839 So uh you guys uh uh what's the next few weeks look like for you? I guess there's
01:02:25.040 not going to be any putting your feet up. There's be coffees, which you know, November 6th. November 6th, you're going to be
01:02:30.720 knocking on doors. Uh what's what's uh what's life look like? I was going to say, Meredith, do you
01:02:36.480 want to talk about the power of one uh event that we're doing? Because I I'm really excited about that one. Yeah. So, um, my friend Leah, she and I
01:02:45.040 actually met when our littles were, well, we moved in in 2021 and we connected over like theater
01:02:51.680 conversations and um, she is part of a group called Power of One with Jill
01:02:57.440 Sockwell and um, they are single parents and so we have reached out to them to
01:03:04.240 say, would you like to talk to us? would you like to tell us what you're going through and what we can you know help
01:03:09.680 out with if we can and that is our coffee on Monday it um if you are
01:03:14.960 interested I don't want to share her address but um if you are interested just contact us in any way and but the
01:03:21.760 focus I will say what we're trying to be really clear about is for each coffee we're trying to have some sort of goal
01:03:27.599 so the goal with this one is to listen to single parents you can attend of course but our focus is really going to
01:03:33.359 be on that population because I I don't know if you've seen it yet, but it seems like that's a population that hasn't
01:03:39.039 really had a moment to speak. Okay. So, Ian, anything uh you want to say before we uh
01:03:44.960 No, I I'm thrilled that you guys have been here. U you know, I already knew Paul, but it's been great to get to know
01:03:50.880 both of you now as well and we wish you the best of luck. We really thank you for being on the podcast with us.
01:03:56.559 Thank you. S board of ed is in good hands. That is absolutely. So again, that's Paul Stfan,
01:04:02.000 Melanie Ner, Meredith Higgins. Uh, November 6th. November 5th is the electionth. Wait,
01:04:08.480 wait, wait. Did I say 5th? Let's look up election day. You know, you know what? The sixth is when they
01:04:14.799 can put their feet up is what I would say. So the election day is November. November.
01:04:20.319 I thought it was fourth. I think it's Tuesday, November 4th. Everybody Tuesday, November 4th. Ner
01:04:27.039 Stefan Higgins bubbles 1 F 2F 3F. So anyway, we're doing this podcast late
01:04:32.400 during the evening. Everybody, my other job, I really should have this right. But this is a late evening podcast. Everybody had to work. So we're a little
01:04:37.839 tired and we want to get this out to you. I'm exhausted. That's right. So but these seriously guys, uh these are three
01:04:43.119 wonderful people, the community members, neighbors, friends. Get to know them more. Get to know them more. And uh when they
01:04:48.640 knock on your door, you know, uh invite them in for coffee, right? And be nice as if they as if they haven't already
01:04:54.480 had enough coffee, right? Yeah. So, so all right. So, uh guys, thank you so much and um thank you guys for having us.
01:05:00.319 All right. Thank you everybody. All right. Until we meet again, Alina says good night. Good night.
01:05:06.240 [Music]
